


future to come

by exolliarmus



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 08:51:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12105117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exolliarmus/pseuds/exolliarmus
Summary: kyungsoo loses sight of what’s important in life and realizes the loss too late. fate gives him a second chance, but it’s hard to play romance when baekhyun’s on the opposite of the battlefield.





	future to come

**Author's Note:**

> title: future to come  
> pairing: baekhyun/d.o.  
> summary: kyungsoo loses sight of what’s important in life and realizes the loss too late. fate gives him a second chance, but it’s hard to play romance when baekhyun’s on the opposite of the battlefield.  
> rating: pg-13  
> warnings: mild gore, mild torture, mentions of war  
> word count: 8.8k  
> author's note: i'm terribly sorry for not being able to fully flesh this out as much as i wanted to, and that i didn't get to write this quite the way i wanted to. thanks go to my betas and the mods! (1st wizarding war!au)

The air reeks of sulfur, and Kyungsoo holds his breath as the Dark Lord appears at the head of the table. The Death Eaters stagger to their feet. Kyungsoo forcefully inhales, lungs burning as he takes in the smell of Disapparation and death. A second of pause, and then Voldemort sits down. The rest of the Death Eaters follow suit.  
  
  
  
“Has anyone found the Potters yet?” Voldemort asks, lips pursing the slightest bit when a quiet  _no_  is chorused around the table. “Ah, how disappointing. You can do better.”  
  
  
  
“Apologies, my Lord,” Avery mutters. “They appear to have a Fidelius Charm on their home.”  
  
  
  
“Look for their Secret-Keeper. Find him.”  
  
  
  
“It’s not Sirius Black,” Bellatrix supplies helpfully. “He knew nothing.”  
  
  
  
The Dark Lord smiles, unpleasantly. “We have a little surprise for you all, though, today, despite your failures. Bring him in, Dolohov,” he commands, and the hulking Death Eater appears, a person in his grasp, wand pressed to temple.  
  
The prisoner has a split lip. His hair is a different color. There's a new scar on his cheek. God, everything about him looks harsher, more haggard, cheeks thinner than before, mouth a tight line instead of a gentle smile. But Kyungsoo doesn't think he'd be able to forget Byun Baekhyun even if he tried.  
  
  
  
Baekhyun is panting, a thin trickle of blood coming from a split lip. Baekhyun stops cold when he makes eye contact with Kyungsoo, but smartly, doesn’t say anything. The grip that Dolohov has on him doesn’t look very comfortable.  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo’s heart aches.  
  
  
  
“Kyungsoo,” Voldemort says, voice light, “you two should have been in school at around the same time, no?”  
  
  
  
It takes him a second longer than normal to answer. “Yes,” Kyungsoo manages. “Yes, we were.”  
  
  
  
“Would you happen to know his name?”  
  
  
  
An incredibly ominous feeling settles in Kyungsoo’s stomach, because Baekhyun is everything Voldemort could have hoped for: Muggleborn Slytherin, auror, working with the Order. Kyungsoo wants to grab Baekhyun and shake him by the shoulders— _why would you ever let yourself get caught, you’re going to die, are you fucking dumb?_  
  
  
  
“Byun—” Bellatrix rushes, but Voldemort silences her with a hand. The young witch bites her lip, obviously disgruntled. She’s not much older than Kyungsoo, but has already risen in the Dark Lord’s favor quite fast.  
  
  
  
“I asked Kyungsoo, not you.” He waits patiently, staring Kyungsoo down with a horrifyingly calm gaze. His eyes are piercing.  
  
  
  
“Byun Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo responds. The name feels like sand coming out of his mouth. He hasn’t said it quite some time. “Slytherin. Same year as me.” It’s such a concise, easy answer. As if seven short words could sum up all that they’d used to have. Carefully, Kyungsoo leaves out the part where Baekhyun is Muggleborn. There hasn’t been a Muggleborn in Slytherin in ages. Although, as Baekhyun’s wearing a dirty gray hoodie and jeans— _Muggle clothing_ —it’s painfully obvious.  
  
  
  
He sneaks a glance over to Baekhyun, and then immediately wishes he hadn’t. The man is staring right back at him still, gaze burning holes into his soul.  
  
  
  
“My lord, he’s also a Mud—” Bellatrix blurts out as well, before cutting off when Voldemort holds up a hand again. Kyungsoo’s heart sinks.  
  
  
  
“Bellatrix, I did not give you permission to speak,” Voldemort reprimands, curtly. Bellatrix shrinks back like a dog scolded by its owner. What an apt analogy. However, the Dark Lord’s interest has been piqued, and he motions for Dolohov to drag Baekhyun closer. “A Mudblood in Slytherin? Kyungsoo, is our… what was it, Baekhyun? Yes, Baekhyun. Is he a Mudblood?”  
  
  
  
Under the scrutiny of fifteen other Death Eaters, Kyungsoo has no other choice but to nod.  
  
  
  
“Were you two close?”  
  
  
  
Baekhyun is still looking at him, judging and waiting for his answer.  
  
  
  
“We were once good friends,” Kyungsoo admits truthfully, because he knows himself and the extent of his Occlumens ability, which is near zero. But once more, he leaves out the important detail: good friends, and then some.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Do Kyungsoo supposes, if someone were to write a biography about him, the first line would be his name. Under that, no doubt in underlined letters, would be the damning words:  _Death Eater_. Which wouldn’t be wrong by any stretch of the imagination; after all, he bears the Dark Mark on the inside of his forearm, a poisonous ink splotch on his otherwise pale skin.  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo does not like his Dark Mark, despite the fact that it makes him a success, especially when compared to a disappointing older brother. It gives him the love of his mother, the pride of his father—who’d been with Voldemort together at Hogwarts, a man who was and still is one of the original Knights of Walpurgis. Kyungsoo’s father could count years spent alongside the Dark Lord, pushing his ideas of blood purity.  
  
  
  
And yet still, Do Seungsoo, first child of two fervent supporters of the Dark Lord, had defected to the other side. They caught him. Kyungsoo had watched his brother’s childhood best friends pin him down and press their Dark Marks, calling for Voldemort. His own mother called him a blood traitor, and ignored him when he called for her.  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo does not like his Dark Mark, because while he can listen and listen to the propaganda that spews out of the people around him, it never takes seed in his heart. Sometimes, he thinks it would be easier if it would, if he could blindly follow the same way everyone else does and forget about the things that used to be and now never will.  
  
  
  
And no, Kyungsoo does not like his Dark Mark, because by taking it, he has brought his parents happiness at the cost of his own humanity. The war is coming to a head now. Voldemort is almost guaranteed a win—the Order is overwhelmed, the Ministry is incompetent. They’ve never dealt with a force like Voldemort before, not since Grindelwald, and Kyungsoo’s parents are giddy with excitement for a new world: one made entirely of wizards. Their dreams involve pureblood wizards taking over the world, no longer hiding in fear from the muggles, no longer sharing magic with the Muggleborns  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo doesn’t share those dreams. He dreams of peaceful nights, spent lying down in the Hogwarts Astronomy tower, wasting time in the best way. He dreams of Hogsmeade dates.  
  
  
  
His parents would kill him if they knew that Kyungsoo dreamed of a boy with gentle smiles, a Slytherin boy with a heart of gold, a Muggleborn boy that Kyungsoo has already lost.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
They’d met in first year, being in the same boat as Hagrid rowed them to Hogwarts, and seen the castle for the first time together, Kyungsoo amusedly watching as the other boy’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he took in the awe-inspiring facade of Hogwarts.  
  
  
  
“That’s our school,” he’d explained excitedly, and happily complied when the other boy—Byun Baekhyun—eagerly begged Kyungsoo to tell him as much as possible about the school. “We’re going to be sorted into Houses, and we’re going to learn about Charms and Transfiguration, Potions and Astronomy…”  
  
  
  
Much to Kyungsoo’s delight, both of them were sorted into his House of choice, Slytherin. His father and mother had owled to him about how proud they were, but Kyungsoo was more happy with the fact that his new friend was with him in all of his classes, in his dorm room, and always by his side during meals in the Great Hall.  
  
  
  
Baekhyun soon became a permanent fixture in Kyungsoo’s life, but the older he got, the less Kyungsoo knew how to deal with it. At home, his mother and father had become more and more aggressive in their dedication to blood purity, urging Kyungsoo to cut off contact with all blood traitors and Muggleborns, fearing that their precious son would be negatively affected by those they deemed lesser.  
  
  
  
And it seemed he wasn’t the only being told that. Many other Slytherin kids begun receiving letters from home recommending being careful around their fellow classmates. House divisions got worse and worse, but the true victims were the Muggleborns in Slytherin. More correctly,  _the_  Muggleborn.  
  
  
  
It took six years for Kyungsoo to figure out that Baekhyun wasn’t just a confused Half-blood with a parent who chose not to show magic. He’d assumed that by being in Slytherin, everyone around him would have at least one wizarding parent. But by the time Kyungsoo figured out that Baekhyun was the the rare exception, he couldn’t bring himself to care much anymore.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
They don’t get anything out of Baekhyun, because the actual interrogation doesn’t last longer than a few minutes. Kyungsoo spends the entire time staring at the table again, digging his nails into his thighs to keep himself sane. It’s not working, but seconds before he breaks, Voldemort stops it anyway.  
  
  
  
“Bellatrix, stop,” Voldemort orders. “Someone is summoning… Yaxley… He thinks he’s found the Potters’ Secret-Keeper. And he says that the Secret-Keeper is willing to give them up.”  
  
  
  
The witch gasps, pulling her knife out of Baekhyun’s arm with a sick squelch, who stifles his groan of pain. “The Secret-Keeper?”  
  
  
  
“Yes,” Voldemort repeats, blandly. He casts an uninterested eye over the prisoner, and then back at the group of Death Eaters assembled. “They’re located near a Muggle village, so we can… have a visit, afterwards, if any of you would like.”  
  
  
  
They all would, Kyungsoo knows. His mother looks nothing short of thrilled as she shares a look with her husband.  
  
  
  
Baekhyun makes a horrified noise. “Muggles?” he spits, shocked. “You would attack Muggles?” Bellatrix hits him with a wordless spell, and Kyungsoo closes his eyes, because he really doesn’t want to see this.  
  
  
  
“Although,” Voldemort drawls, as if he hadn’t heard anything, “someone needs to do something about the Mudblood.”  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes fly open. “I will.” Everyone turns to him in surprise; Kyungsoo doesn’t normally speak much at these meetings. “I mean,” he amends, realizing how abrupt his offer had been, “I am the youngest here, and it would only be fair for those more experienced to go out before me.”  
  
  
  
Voldemort gives him a calculated look, but doesn’t comment on Kyungsoo’s sudden haste to help. “Do continue the interrogation, please, we haven’t exactly figured out very much. After all, he is an auror, after all.”  
  
  
  
Dolohov grunts. “This is his wand,” he tells Kyungsoo, even though Kyungsoo recognizes the thin cherry wood branch on sight. He’s seen it far too much—Baekhyun had been in almost all of his classes, for god’s sake. Dolohov drags Baekhyun off the table, disregarding his injuries as he shoves the man into the wall, cuffing his hands into the manacles already there.  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo pockets the wand, feeling disgusting as he does so. He can see Baekhyun following his every movement. A few more seconds pass, and the sounds of fifteen blood-thirsty Death Eaters disapparating away fill the air.  
  
  
  
“You’re such a good son,” his mother says before she goes, tucking a curl of Kyungsoo’s hair behind his ear. “I promise that you’ll get to go next time.” And then, like the rest of them, she disappears.  
  
  
  
It’s just Baekhyun and Kyungsoo.  
  
  
  
The wounds on Baekhyun’s arm are still bleeding, staining the gray of his hoodie. But he’s not pinned to the table anymore, not with Voldemort being gone. The spells have worn off, and now it’s just Baekhyun, looking worse for wear.  
  
  
  
“Hold still,” Kyungsoo says gruffly, but his touch is gentle when he grabs Baekhyun’s wrist, on the injured arm where Bellatrix’s knife cuts had been deepest. Baekhyun hisses in pain, and Kyungsoo notes in horror that two of his fingers are broken as well.  
  
  
  
“What the fuck do you—”  
  
  
  
“ _Episkey_ ,” Kyungsoo tries, and Baekhyun goes silent as they watch his broken fingers mend back in place, stifling a yelp of pain when they go back in the original spot. “I- I have essence of dittany somewhere for the cuts, give me just one second.  _Accio_!”  
  
  
  
The little vat of dittany essence comes flying, and Kyungsoo catches it with one hand. Baekhyun doesn’t say anything. “It’s going to burn,” Kyungsoo warns, but Baekhyun doesn’t react much when Kyungsoo applies it to his cuts. Instead, he just stares blankly at Kyungsoo the entire time, eyes unreadable.  
  
  
  
When he finishes, Kyungsoo steps back rapidly, realizing their proximity. An impossible kind of delirious happiness is bubbling up in his chest, a sick form of delight at seeing Baekhyun after so long. It’s fucking horrible, but some part of Kyungsoo is so relieved and happy that Baekhyun is here. Kyungsoo’s missed him, and seeing him at all is a kind of comfort.  
  
  
  
“Why?” Baekhyun finally asks.  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo furrows his eyebrows. “Why what?”  
  
  
  
“Why would you heal me?”  
  
  
  
And it’s a good question, one that Kyungsoo can’t exactly answer, because he doesn’t have an answer either. There’s no good reason for him to be helping Baekhyun—they are on opposite sides of the war, with Kyungsoo’s allies literally hunting down people like Baekhyun for sport. But he responds honestly anyway. “I didn’t want to see you in pain.”  
  
  
  
“But you’re okay with going around killing Muggles for simply not being magical?” Baekhyun snorts.  
  
  
  
“I’ve never done that!” Kyungsoo protests. “I- I just—”  
  
  
  
“—got a Dark Mark and now follow only the Darkest wizard in history. Save Grindelwald, but he was a piece of shit too,” Baekhyun finishes dryly.  
  
  
  
“Yeah,” Kyungsoo musters up weakly. “That’s a way to put it.” So much guilt is rolling in his stomach as he watches Baekhyun itch at his healing wounds. How could this bring joy to his parents? How could anyone cause so much pain, and then feel pride about it? “Are you okay?”  
  
  
  
“Well,” Baekhyun laughs humorlessly, “I’m not exactly having a nice vacation here.” He crosses his legs on the ground, rolling his non-cuffed wrist, staring down at the patch of hardwood floor in front of him.The bags under Baekhyun’s eyes are dark as hell, and his ever-lasting smile has been gone for far too long.  
  
  
  
“You need to get out of here,” Kyungsoo says. The words burn his tongue a little, but one more glance at Baekhyun’s haggard appearance turns Kyungsoo’s selfishness into shame. Keeping Baekhyun close means keeping him here, under the nose of the Dark Lord. The wounds on his arm have already started to scar over, thanks to the healing properties of the dittany, but they’re still a painful reminder that Baekhyun is in danger.  
  
  
  
“No, I love being imprisoned here,” Baekhyun deadpans. He grimaces, and ducks his head. “At least I’m alive. Better than being dead, I guess.”  
  
  
  
“Glad you’re not, though,” Kyungsoo says without thinking, and then winces. “Sorry. That was. I didn’t mean that like… like that.”  
  
  
  
Baekhyun closes his eyes. “Doesn’t matter. It’s fine, anyway.”  
  
  
  
Except to Kyungsoo, it’s really not. They’d spent too much time together to erase it like that, right? He looks at Baekhyun and he sees Hogsmeade dates. Late-night studying sessions where neither of them actually got anything done, Kyungsoo in Baekhyun’s lap as the younger tries to focus while the older presses kisses into his back. Snowball fights on the Quidditch field during their rare free time, and then curling up in the Slytherin common room afterwards, both of them holding steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Too many different memories—and now that’s all they are; memories, right? The thought hurts.  
  
  
  
And all of a sudden, he can’t stand it here in the room with Baekhyun anymore, because it feels he’s being suffocated with all the dreams he’ll never reach.  
  
  
  
“I- uh, I have to go,” Kyungsoo lies. “The Dark Lord needs me.”  
  
  
  
Baekhyun doesn’t even acknowledge him when he leaves.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Jongdae nearly kills him when he shows up. So does Chanyeol. And Sehun. There are three different wands pointed directly at his nose when Kyungsoo takes just one step onto the Kim’s property. Obviously, the safety wards had been up; otherwise, Kyungsoo would have seen them approach.  
  
  
  
“Give me one good reason not to blow your head clean off your shoulders right now,” Chanyeol hisses, leveling his wand with Kyungsoo again. Sehun is likewise furious, eyebrows knit in the middle of his forehead, trembling a little.  
  
  
  
“They captured Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo explains. “He’s locked up at the Death Eater headquarters, they’re not going to let him live long. You have to help me get him out.”  
  
  
  
Chanyeol’s eyes widen. “They got Baek?” His hand lowers just the faintest bit, but then it comes right back up as his expression turns suspicious again. “How do we know you’re not just lying to us for a way into my home?”  
  
  
  
“I’d never—” Kyungsoo cuts himself off, because Chanyeol doesn’t know that he wouldn’t. Chanyeol used to know, but it’s been years and Kyungsoo is not the same person he was. “Please, Chanyeol. This has nothing to do with me, it’s for Baekhyun.”  
  
  
  
“How is he?” Sehun asks, voice shaking a little. “You bastards didn’t hurt him, did you?”  
  
  
Kyungsoo exhales. “They roughed him up a little. Cruciatus curse, Bellatrix got creative with her knife. But I healed the broken fingers and put on some dittany.”  
  
  
  
Jongdae stands there, an uncertain look on his face as he thinks. “Chanyeol, Sehun,” he finally says. “Go back to the house.”  
  
  
  
“But what if—” Chanyeol starts, but Jongdae shakes his head.  
  
  
  
“I’ve got it. Just go back.”  
  
  
  
Chanyeol and Sehun share a look, and then Sehun speaks up. “We’re not going anywhere, Jongdae. What if the Death Eater pulls something?”  
  
  
  
“I’ll be fucking fine, you two. Go back before Jongin burns the shit out of our breakfast.” Jongdae doesn’t give them any room to argue, and grumbling, they head back. Kyungsoo watches in mild amusement as they just magically vanish halfway across the grass.  
  
  
  
“Your wards have been getting better,” he muses to Jongdae, who nods and smiles wryly.  
  
  
  
“I’ve been fiddling around with some new charms,” Jongdae says, staring at the place where Chanyeol and Sehun had vanished. “Sorry about the wand-pointing, by the way. Your Dark Mark isn’t exactly inconspicuous.  
  
  
  
“They don’t know, do they?” Kyungsoo asks. “About me, I mean.”  
  
  
  
Jongdae shakes his head. “No. You asked me not to tell anyone, so I didn’t.”  
  
  
  
“So…  _he_  doesn’t either.”  
  
  
  
There’s a sad expression as Jongdae shakes his head again. “No, Baekhyun doesn’t know, Kyungsoo. Which I still think is a dumb shit move on your part. He still thinks about you a lot, you know?”  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo laughs dryly. “I doubt that. He basically told me to screw off.”  
  
  
  
“Well, I mean, to him, you’re still a Death Eater, but there was a time before that when you weren’t, right?” Jongdae grimaces, looking away, “Speaking of which, are you sure he’s okay? You mentioned that he’d been tortured.”  
  
  
  
“Yeah,” Kyungsoo mutters. “I watched.”  
  
  
  
He shifts his weight from one foot to the other, staring at the grass beneath his feet as Jongdae inhales sharply. “I’m sorry.”  
  
  
  
“It wasn’t long, and like I said, it didn’t last long.” Kyungsoo scrunches up his face. “Ah, that’s another thing. They found the Potters’ Secret-Keeper, and the Secret-Keeper caved.”  
  
  
  
“Fuck.” Jongdae’s hiss of surprise is short and awful. “Sirius Black? Sirius Black caved?”  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo shrugs. “I would have never suspected, but war messes with people.”  
  
  
  
A heavy silence falls between them as they both pretend not to feel the accidental double meaning that Kyungsoo’s words carry.  
  
  
  
“Anyway,” Jongdae clears his throat, “You need a Portkey for Baek, right?”  
  
  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
  
  
Without hesitation, Jongdae unclasps the locket around his neck, the one that he always wears. Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows, impressed.  
  
  
  
“Be careful,” Jongdae warns, as he drops the locket in Kyungsoo’s hands. “If they find out you’re working with us, they’ll kill you for sure.”  
  
  
  
“I know, Dae, I know.”  
  
  
  
  
  
Do Seungsoo hadn’t believed in the pureblood ideology. Not that Kyungsoo did, either, but his older brother had always been the louder, more vocal, braver one of the two. So his parents disowned him and then didn’t even bother hosting a funeral when he was killed.  
  
  
  
“Become a Death Eater,” his mother had urged Kyungsoo the day that Seungsoo had been murdered by the Dark Lord. “Make your family proud. You are our darling son, it’s only expected.”  
  
  
  
So he did, biting his lip so hard it drew blood when the mark was burned into his skin. It hurt like hell, and Kyungsoo’s eyes filled with tears at the pain. It felt like regret and apologies and guilt, this mark of pureblood supremacy when Kyungsoo’s lover was not.  
  
  
  
But then his mother had smiled, stunning and bright. “I love you,” she’d said. “I’m so proud of you.” And Kyungsoo could not remember the last time he’d made his family proud, so he dipped his head in agreement.  
  
  
  
Only to regret it less than two weeks later, when he returned to Hogwarts and Baekhyun had cried when he’d seen the tattoo, sobbing and backing out of the dorm, not forming coherent words as he asked Kyungsoo  _why?_  and other questions that Kyungsoo couldn’t answer.  
  
  
  
They’d ended it shortly after, when Baekhyun told Kyungsoo that he still loved him, but was fucking terrified of the mark on his arm.  
  
  
  
Without Kyungsoo’s protection, the other Slytherin kids started getting bolder and bolder. Two of them tried to drown Baekhyun in the lake, holding the Muggleborn kid down under the water until he faked unconsciousness, until the oxygen in his lungs actually began to run out, until Kyungsoo hexed them both and pulled Baekhyun out, silently drawing the water out of his system with his wand.  
  
  
  
He never stuck around though, lest the other Slytherin kids see who it was, and report back to Voldemort. Baekhyun didn’t want to speak to him anyway. It hurt then… and it still hurts now.  
  
  
  
  
  
He Apparates back to the room where Baekhyun is still cuffed up, a bag of food in his hand. Kyungsoo sets it on the table, muttering a quick  _Scourgify_  to clean up the blood.  
  
  
  
“Lunch?” Kyungsoo offers a plastic take-out box to Baekhyun. “Chinese.”  
  
  
  
“Muggle food?,” Baekhyun says suspiciously.  
  
  
  
“No, sorry, it’s a local wizard’s crack at Chinese. Nothing actually good, but it’s all I could find.” Kyungsoo tosses a pair of chopsticks at him too. “How’s that arm?”  
  
  
  
“It’s okay,” Baekhyun says, looking at his injuries. “Mostly fading. Thanks for the dittany. The knife wounds are mostly gone. Can you, uh, uncuff me?”  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo hesitates, but then does so anyway. “But don’t run away yet, lest they catch you. You’ll be out of here soon. I’m forming a plan.”  
  
  
  
“I already have my own,” Baekhyun admits, rotating his previously cuffed wrist. But he doesn’t go anywhere, just cracking open his chopsticks and eating some poorly-fried noodles. “This was supposed to be my way out.” Kyungsoo looks up to see him rifling through his pockets.  
  
  
  
“This is a Portkey that leads safety.” Baekhyuns pinching a tiny silver key between two fingers. It glimmers and shines in the dim lighting.  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo stares at the glowing Portkey, mouth falling open. “You had a way to get out of this whole time?” he says in disbelief, standing up to lean closer so he can get a better view. A flash of panic crosses Baekhyun’s face, and Kyungsoo hurriedly amends, “Not that I’m going to tell anyone. Why’d you stay so long here if you could leave at any minute?”  
  
  
  
Baekhyun rolls his eyes—a painfully familiar action that Kyungsoo now has to pretend that he doesn’t recognize. “You think I want to be here? No, it’s because this place is completely full of wards that would kill me if I put so much as a toe out of line. I can’t activate the Portkey here; I also can’t apparate out of here.  
  
  
  
“I can help you.” The words leave his mouth before he realizes what he’s said. “I’ll help you.”  
  
  
  
The strangely civil atmosphere that had been present earlier dissolves as both of them finally remember their situation again. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are not two variables on the same side of the equation, but Kyungsoo doesn’t remember that once more.  
  
  
  
Baekhyun is rendered silent once more as he stares at Kyungsoo. “Okay,” he finally decides on, looking away. “You said you had a plan?”  
  
  
  
“I’ll apparate to a place,” Kyungsoo says. “Bring you with me. Pick a random, random one, so that our steps are harder to trace, okay? You Portkey away. I pretend to have been beaten by your dueling skills.”  
  
  
  
“And then what happens to you?” There’s almost a note of concern in Baekhyun’s voice, but Kyungsoo knows it’s just his wishful thinking.  
  
  
  
“I don’t know,” he says truthfully. “Best case scenario, I get scolded, but not punished too harshly.”  
  
  
  
“Worst case scenario?”  
  
  
  
“He kills me,” Kyungsoo says bluntly. Baekhyun flinches. “But let’s not think about that now. Grab whatever you need, and think of a good place. Side-along Disapparition is hard normally, now that you’re picking the place, we’re going to have to fucking focus so neither of us die through splinching.”  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Not that Kyungsoo should have worried, to be honest. Baekhyun had always aced his tests, and the Disapparition one hadn’t been an exception. He looks around the surroundings, mildly confused.  
  
  
  
“Uh, welcome,” Baekhyun says, a little awkwardly. “This is my home.” They stand on the porch of the quaint house, both staring at the painted blue cottage. “Sorry, I panicked, and I couldn’t think of anywhere else.”  
  
  
  
“It’s beautiful,” Kyungsoo says. It’s not a lie. Baekhyun’s childhood home is beautiful in a timeless way, pretty flowers lined up in the windowsills, matching curtains draping delicate windows. “It really is. You’re lucky to have lived here.”  
  
  
  
He looks back and finds Baekhyun staring at him.  
  
  
  
“Can I ask you something?” Baekhyun’s voice is soft.  
  
  
  
“Of course.”  
  
  
  
“What happened to you?” Baekhyun pauses, an unreadable expression on his face. He bites his lip, thinking. “Like, the you from before. My Kyungsoo.” And it’s like he’s punched Kyungsoo in the stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs.  
  
  
  
The one who doted on Baekhyun’s ugly silver cat. The one that cried when his Pygmy Puff died. The one that bought Bertie Botts, even though he hated them, just so he could hear Baekhyun’s laugh when he inevitably ate a vile bean.  
  
  
  
_He’s still here,_  Kyungsoo wants to say.  _I’m still yours, I’ve always been. I always will be._ But it’s not true, because Kyungsoo isn’t. He can’t be.  
  
  
  
“I’m not sure,” he says instead. Baekhyun tries hard not to show it, but Kyungsoo can see his face crumple anyway. “I’m sorry. I still care though, if that means anything.”  
  
  
  
The Muggleborn turns away, looking back at the porch, ignoring Kyungsoo’s last words. In a rare show of weakness, Baekhyun shoves his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, and closes his eyes again. “I miss him.”  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo swallows. “I miss him too.”  
  
  
  
Wordlessly, Baekhyun opens his eyes. He still looks sad and tired, but something a little different is there, too. With one hand, he rings the doorbell to his family home. As they wait, though, Baekhyun looks back at Kyungsoo. “I still see little bits and pieces of him,” he says quietly. “I still see you.”  
  
  
  
“Baekhyun!” Mrs. Byun chirps, opening the door and pulling the man into a hug. She stares at Kyungsoo, and for an irrational second, Kyungsoo thinks that she’ll recognize him as a Death Eater and kick him out. But she doesn’t, instead smiling and inviting him in.  
  
  
  
“Come in, come in, all friends of Baekhyun’s are welcome here,” she says, ushering them in. They’re not exactly friends, at all, but that’s not something that Baekhyun’s mother needs to worry about.  
  
  
  
“Oemma, we’re really not here to stay—” Baekhyun begins, but Kyungsoo catches a whiff of the Korean cooking and his stomach growls loudly.  
  
  
  
“Oh my, have you two not had dinner?” Mrs. Byun laughs. “Well, now, you simply must stay! It’s ready, anyway.”  
  
  
  
Baekhyun hasn’t seen his parents in a long time, and Kyungsoo hasn’t felt motherly love in too long. They eat dinner, and then get guilt-tripped into staying the night. However, both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo simply stay downstairs, choosing to sneak away in the middle of the night after both parents are asleep. They end up talking, though.  
  
  
  
“Your parents are so nice,” Kyungsoo remarks. “So, so, nice. I wish mine were like that.”  
  
  
  
Baekhyun gives a half-smile. “Wish you could have met them under different circumstances,” he says rather carelessly. The implications are heavy.  
  
  
  
“I’m sorry we turned out this way.”  
  
  
  
They could have been so much more, Kyungsoo thinks, but doesn’t say. There is too much hope in that statement.  
  
  
  
Baekhyun sits on the living room couch, across from Kyungsoo and sags. “I hate this war,” he says. “Hate this whole blood divide shit.”  
  
  
  
“Me too. It doesn’t make any sense,” Kyungsoo says. It’s the first time he’s ever outright denied the Death Eater principles.  
  
  
  
“But you…”  
  
  
  
“But I don’t believe in them. I can’t bring myself to hurt anyone. It feels fucking awful to be the cause of so many people’s pain,” Kyungsoo admits, and it feels like he’s pushing a boulder the size of a hippogriff off of his chest.  
  
  
  
“Then why… Then why are you in it?” Baekhyun asks. He’s sitting up, hair wild, eyes a little lost.  
  
  
  
Hesitation builds up like a dam in Kyungsoo, holding back all of words he has always dreamed of saying to Baekhyun. But one more glance at the confused expression on the other man’s face is enough to do him in.  
  
  
  
“Because of my mother. My family,” he admits. “My brother was a traitor to the cause. They killed him. I didn’t want to be another disappointment.”  
  
  
  
“So that’s how you justify killing innocents?” Baekhyun’s words aren’t really meant to be attacking, but Kyungsoo flinches nonetheless.  
  
  
  
“I don’t. I can’t.”  
  
  
  
“I want you to explain one thing to me, though. Why save me? Why heal me? Why go through all the trouble of bringing me here so I can Portkey home from a location no one can track me from?”  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo laughs, bitterly. “Isn’t it obvious?”  _You said that you loved me, in the past. I still love you, now._  
  
  
  
The other man stares, speechless. “Really?” he manages, words hoarse and small and tired.  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo smiles wryly at Baekhyun. “Nobody else.”  
  
  
  
“We were good together,” Baekhyun admits. “Really good. Too bad… too bad things got fucked up. With Voldemort and all that shit.”  
  
  
  
“Yeah, too bad—” Kyungsoo freezes when he’s realized what Baekhyun’s said. “Did you just say the Dark Lord’s name?”  
  
  
  
Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows. “I mean, what’s the point of calling him You-Know-Who? And I’m not calling him the Dark—”  
  
  
  
“It’s a Taboo!” Kyungsoo yelps, jumping up. “They can track it, Baekhyun.”  
  
  
  
The auror looks up, the color draining out of his face. “Fuck, that’s smart— shit, we’re at my parents’. Why the fuck did I bring us here?”  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo pauses. “Do you think you could lure them back here or something? There’s a ton of other Muggles in the neighborhood, I don’t want them hurt, pull the Death Eaters here. Your house might get damaged but the best chance for survival against Dark Wizards is us, the rest of the people are innocent, they wouldn’t be able to—”  
  
  
  
He looks over to see Baekhyun staring at him.  
  
  
  
“You’re a good person, Do Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun says, eyes far away. “You’ve done bad things, but you’re good person.” And then Baekhyun’s already pulling his wand out to go distract the Dark Wizards.  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo stands, stunned for a minute, and then runs upstairs to bang on Baekhyun’s parents’ door. No doubt, they’re sleeping, but Mr. Byun wakes up and opens it anyway, Mrs. Byun right behind him.  
  
  
  
“Here,” Kyungsoo gasps, thrusting the little Portkey that Baekhyun had originally had at them. Mrs. Byun fumbles to take it. “Take this.”  
  
  
  
Mr. Byun squints at Kyungsoo, a confused expression on his face. “What does this key open?” Next to him, Mrs. Byun tilts her head also, studying the little silver key in her hand.  
  
  
  
“I’m sorry, but there really is no time to explain,” Kyungsoo says quietly. He grabs Mr. Byun’s left hand, and places it on Mrs. Byun’s shoulder. “When you get there, ask for someone named Jongdae. Tell him—and only him—that Baekhyun sent you.”  
  
  
  
“Sorry, when we get where, exactly?” Mrs. Byun asks, staring warily at the key. “Um, Kyungsoo, was it? I don’t—”  
  
  
  
“Don’t let go of each other, or the Portkey.” He ignores their confused stares, heart hammering too hard in his ribcage for any other thoughts to come through. Kyungsoo realizes that he doesn’t know how to activate the Portkey; Baekhyun hadn’t told him. Frantically, he lifts his wand up, and taps the key twice, muttering words under his breath in an attempt to bash open the enchantment. By some miracle, something works, and the Portkey begins to thrum with magic.  
  
  
  
“Kyungsoo—” Mr. Byun begin. But then the Portkey kicks in, and the Muggle couple vanishes perfectly from the room, leaving nothing in their wake at all. Thankfully, no splinching occurred.  
  
  
  
Breathing heavily, a little dizzy with fear, Kyungsoo backs up against the wall only to spot a cluster of approaching Death Eaters through the window. They’re here. Adrenaline rushes through Kyungsoo, mixing with the fear and turning it into something that kicks his ass into gear. He looks around the room, scanning for anything at all that he could use a distraction—the armchair.  
  
  
  
At the same time, Kyungsoo hears the front door being blown off its hinges and Baekhyun’s surprised yelp as the Death Eaters come pouring in. Chaos breaks out; Baekhyun’s instincts as an Auror kick in, and Kyungsoo listens with growing horror at the battle unfolding downstairs. Baekhyun’s a good dueler, but he’s not going to last against at least four Death Eaters.  
  
  
If Kyungsoo doesn’t act now, they’re both going to die.  
  
  
  
In the split second before he brandishes his wand, a small part of Kyungsoo tells him that Baekhyun might hate him forever. That they’d lose what little they’d managed to salvage. The thought is bitter, weighing uncomfortably on his chest, and Kyungsoo hesitates. He wouldn’t know how to fix anything from here.  
  
  
  
And then a second part of him says that if Baekhyun dies now, there won’t be anything left to fix.  
  
  
  
“Avada Kedavra!” Kyungsoo yells, pointing his wand at the base of the armchair. Green sparks fly out of his wand, causing a small explosion on the wooden bottom of the armchair. Wood fragments splinter out, and the main body of the armchair lands on the ground with a loud, heavy thump that quite resembles the sound of a corpse hitting the ground.  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo does it again, taking out a dresser. It’s a much less convincing sound, but Baekhyun’s shrieks cover it up. For a split second, Kyungsoo’s paralyzed with fear that the Death Eaters have killed him already, but then he hears a loud crash! and Dolohov (it must be Dolohov, no one else sounds like that) cursing. Kyungsoo rushes to close the door to the room where the Byuns had disappeared from.  
  
  
  
“Kyungsoo!” he hears Baekhyun call, and his heart sinks. “I heard someone yell the Killing Curse, are you—”  
  
  
  
Grimly, Kyungsoo turns towards him. They make eye contact and oh, god, it’s so awful. Kyungsoo gets to watch in real-time as Baekhyun puts the pieces together and comes to exactly the wrong conclusion—the one that Kyungsoo wants the Death Eaters to come to.  
  
  
  
“Tell me you didn’t—” Baekhyun starts  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo hears footsteps running up the stairs, and he knows he has very few precious seconds left to fix this all. He forces the door open to the room where he’d destroyed the dresser and the armchair, and then shoves Baekhyun inside, slamming the door as he follows. As an extra safeguard, Kyungsoo enchants the Muggle lock to stay closed. It’s nothing that would stand up to anything above the most basic of unlocking charms, but he’s hoping that no one has the time right now to sit down and fiddle with a lock.  
  
  
  
“Your parents are alive, they’re at Jongdae’s, here’s another fucking Portkey that I got for you,” he says in one breath, pulling out the locket that Jongdae had gotten for him. “Go.” His mind is working in overdrive, trying to come up with something that he can say when the Death Eaters get upstairs and find Kyungsoo and a bunch of broken furniture—and no Baekhyun.  _Oops, he Stunned me and I hit a bunch of furniture, but I’m okay now!_  
  
  
  
Confused, Baekhyun stares at him, refusing to take the locket. “What—” But he’s cut off when someone pounds on the door.  
  
  
  
“Go!” Kyungsoo hisses, but Baekhyun still doesn’t.  
  
  
  
“Come with me,” he says instead, staring at Kyungsoo. “Come with me. They’re going to kill you otherwise.” The door begins to splinter under the force.  
  
  
  
“Are you crazy?” Kyungsoo asks, looking back and forth from Baekhyun to the door. “Just go—” The door bursts open in a burst of green light, and then Kyungsoo’s being tackled to the ground as the world around them disappears.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
They appear in a heap in Jongdae’s study.  
  
  
  
“Are you okay?” Baekhyun asks first, when he pulls himself off of Kyungsoo. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to knock you over, I just wanted to grab you.”  
  
  
  
“I’m fine,” Kyungsoo says, dusting himself off. He doesn’t get another word in edgewise, though, when Baekhyun points an accusing finger at him.  
  
  
  
“How do you have another Portkey to Jongdae’s?” Baekhyun asks, surveying the room. Something else occurs to him, and he pauses, confusion written all over his face.“And why aren’t Jongdae’s wards flipping shit that you’re here?”  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo opens and closes his mouth. The evidence is all pretty obvious, but he ends up not speaking again, when Jongdae chooses this moment to come in.  
  
  
  
“Because he’s been working for the Order ever since the beginning, in order to ensure your safety,” Jongdae says bluntly, holding out a hand for the locket. Baekhyun, stunned, places the locket in Jongdae’s hands without a single word. “Oh, by the way, Baekhyun, your parents are disoriented but perfectly fine. Wanna say hi?” He motions for Baekhyun to follow him.  
  
  
  
Slowly, Baekhyun pulls himself up to go after Jongdae, but right in the doorframe, he turns around and points at Kyungsoo again. “Don’t you dare fucking move. We have things to talk about.”  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo sits on the floor, staring at the Dark Mark on his arm. Minutes pass, and then Baekhyun comes back, obviously having made sure his parents were okay.  
  
  
  
“Why did you never tell me?” Baekhyun asks, after a moment of painful silence. “Why didn’t you tell me?”  
  
  
  
“I thought you wouldn’t care,” Kyungsoo responds quietly. “After that time in seventh year, when you saw my Dark Mark and broke up with me, I thought you were done with me forever.”  
  
  
  
Baekhyun just breathes in and out, disbelief and incredulity mixing on his face. “Soo, I—” He pauses when he realizes that he’s used a nickname, but then casts another glance at Kyungsoo and continues. “I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m not, yeah?”  
  
  
  
“I hurt you.”  
  
  
  
“You saved me and my family,” Baekhyun whispers. “You risked your own life and reputation to protect me. All these years I thought you were out there murdering people, you were collecting information for the Order, for our side.”  
  
  
“But I—”  
  
  
  
“Shut up, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun snaps, no venom in his voice. “Come here and kiss me.”  
  
He does. Cautiously, of course, because it has been a long time and Kyungsoo is scared, but Baekhyun tugs him in close and doesn’t let go. Kyungsoo presses his lips into Baekhyun’s cheek, and then rests his head there. It’s still a little early too to do anything quite yet, and Baekhyun gets it.  
  
  
  
“Don’t you dare go anywhere, okay?” Baekhyun whispers into his neck. “All this time I thought I’d lost you to Voldemort, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to forget, but— but you’re not…”  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything, just wraps his arms around Baekhyun and makes a small noise. “I fucked things up pretty badly.”  
  
  
  
“That you did,” Baekhyun agrees. “Promise me that you’ll never let your mother hold shit over your head again. You’re not hers anymore. You’re mine.”  
  
  
  
“Cheesy piece of shit,” Kyungsoo whispers, but he holds Baekhyun just the same. They sit like that for some while, quietly catching up on all the things they haven’t had a chance to talk about. About the non-war related things that have been happening, but that isn’t too much.  
  
  
  
“Hey, you two,” Jongdae says, poking his head back in. His face is ashen, but an odd shine is appearing in his eyes. “I wouldn’t bother you guys otherwise, but… The Potters were killed.”  
  
  
  
Both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo scramble to get off each other, but then freeze in place when they hear the news.  
  
  
  
“Fuck,” Baekhyun hisses. “No!”  
  
  
  
But Jongdae isn’t finished. “The prophecy came true though,” he says breathlessly. “The Potter child, Harry, we don’t know how but— he survived the Killing Curse. It rebounded, and Voldemort didn’t.”  
  
  
  
Shocked, neither of them move. But Kyungsoo knows what he has to do now, because the wizarding war is over and it is well past time for Kyungsoo to cut off ties that have been strangling him for far too long.  
  
  
  
“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo says, tired from talking but not tired of the other’s company. “I need to go.”  
  
  
  
He feels the need to go back. To go to his mother, and tie things up. Tell her that he’s sorry, but also not at all. To end it all, for good, one last time.  
  
  
  
“Why? You’re not going back… back to the Death Eaters, are you?” Baekhyun asks.  
  
  
  
“I am. But only to tie up loose ends. To tell them that I’m done with them. That I’m a traitor, a turncoat.”  
  
  
  
“They’ll fucking kill you!” Baekhyun yelps, standing up. “Are you crazy?”  
  
  
  
“Yes,” Kyungsoo says. “But I’ll be back. I’m yours, remember? Trust me?”  
  
  
  
A soft smile breaks out on Baekhyun’s face. “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but yeah. Yeah, I do.”  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The tide of the war has turned; no, it’s absolutely crashed over them already. Without Voldemort, the Death Eaters are nothing except scattered soldiers, individual murderers with no one to paint targets for them. Without Voldemort, they have no hope, no chance of winning against the collective fury of the rest of the wizarding world, those who they have hunted for the previous months and years.  
  
  
  
But for Kyungsoo, there is a much more pressing manner. He arrives at Malfoy Manor later than the rest, sudden and abrupt confidence coloring each of the steps he takes, although his wand is drawn just in case.  
  
  
  
Around Kyungsoo, the Death Eaters are reacting to the news: some through stone-cold shock, some through grievous wailing, others with fear. They all know that there is no protection now.  
  
  
  
“Soo, my baby, I thought you’d died,” his mother sobs, reaching out for him. She’s pushed through the throng of despairing Death Eaters to reach him, the edge of her Dark Mark barely visible from the neckline of her dress. “Come to me—”  
  
  
  
But Kyungsoo doesn’t. He shakes his head. “Sorry, mother. I only came to say goodbye.”  
  
  
  
A confused expression crosses her pretty face: red lips pursing into a familiar pout of disapproval, carefully plucked eyebrows furrowing together. “What’s this about?” she asks irritably, harsh voice not lining up well with the tears drying on her face. Her mascara has been bewitched, and her makeup stays perfectly in place. “Kyungsoo?”  
  
  
  
_She wasn’t like this._  some part of him whispers.  _Before the Wizarding War, she used to be different._  They used build towers out of cards, and Kyungsoo’s mother would bewitch them into real, dancing card soldiers. She cooked delightful dinners, hair pinned up beautifully with a gentle flick of her wand. And she’d sing Celina Warbeck songs and tell stories until both Seungsoo and Kyungsoo were fast asleep. She used to have such a beautiful smile.  
  
  
  
“You were such a good mother,” Kyungsoo whispers, throat suddenly tight as he stares down the woman who used to love him. “What happened? How did you let Voldemort get to you like that?”  
  
  
  
His mother’s eyes widen almost comically, and then her own wand is out, pointed at Kyungsoo’s nose, faster than he can blink. His heart sinks. “Why, you—” she hisses. “How dare you address the Dark Lord so disrespectfully?”  
  
  
  
“He’s dead now, so can’t you see?” Kyungsoo pleads, a last-ditch effort. “He’s brainwashed you all, there’s no reason to follow him, the Muggleborns—”  
  
  
  
“Muggleborns?” His mother snorts in derision. “I always knew you were just like your weak brother. How could your father and I raise such  _cowardly_  children?”  
  
  
  
He stops. Kyungsoo of the past would have been crippled by such words. He would have bowed to his mother, apologies already on his lips for his mistakes—past, present and future.  
  
  
  
But this is not the same Kyungsoo as before. The words still sting, he won’t pretend that they don’t, because some part of him will always be chasing for the motherly love that she used to give him. But after years of manipulative behavior, Kyungsoo has found someone else who loves him unconditionally.  
  
  
  
He imagines Baekhyun, rectangle smile and all. Focuses on the little mole on his thumb, the quiet noises he makes when he sleeps.  _Where are you?_  Kyungsoo asks, more to himself than anything, because Baekhyun can’t hear him anyway. But not for long, because soon they’ll be face to face. He pictures them in the living room of Jongdae’s sprawling manor, sitting by the crackling fire, making up for the years they’ve lost in between. Emotionally, physically, mentally exhausted, but together nonetheless.  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo has a lot of names to answer to. One of them is  _traitor_ , from his own mother and the people he has grown up with. Another is the lingering darkness of  _Death Eater_ , the permanent stain on his arm, the one that will cause witches and wizards to titter nervously about him behind his back and run away on the streets when they see him. But the last and most important one is the quiet whisper of Baekhyun’s voice, in the three minutes of peace where they’d seen each other last.  _Mine_ , Baekhyun had said, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo’s shoulders, trembling as he tried not to cry.  _You’re mine_.  
  
  
  
He closes his eyes and imagines Jongdae’s place one more time.  _Destination_. He thinks of holding Baekhyun in his arms again.  _Determination_. And he lets go of all that is left of his family.  _Deliberation_.  
  
  
  
“Avada Ke—” his mother begins, but Kyungsoo is already gone.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Baekhyun stands in the midst of the Hollow. Large bundles of flowers have been heaped on the wrecked doorstep of the Potter household. He is crying, and so Kyungsoo extends a hand for him to take. Gratefully, Baekhyun accepts it, lacing his fingers in tightly with Kyungsoo’s.  
  
  
  
The auror had been here already, the night before, just hours after James and Lily Potter had been killed. But Baekhyun is here again, this time alone and not with the rest of the aurors and the Order.  
  
  
  
“God, they were so young,” Baekhyun whispers, voice hoarse. “Twenty-one, Kyungsoo. Twenty-one. James had a great sense of humor. Fucking hilarious, that guy. Fresh out of Hogwarts, just had a baby. ”  
  
  
  
“The boy who lived,” Kyungsoo says gravely. And Harry Potter deserved that name, after surviving the Killing Curse from the most catastrophically powerful wizard that England had seen in centuries. “He defeated Voldemort.”  
  
  
  
“Yeah, he did.” Baekhyun inhales, breath ragged. “Voldemort is dead. It’s over.” In between his tears, Baekhyun looks up at Kyungsoo and suddenly smiles, eyes still watering. “Soo, it’s over, it’s really over.”  
  
  
  
He throws his arms around Kyungsoo, burying his face into Kyungsoo’s neck. Baekhyun’s shoulders are still heaving as he cries, this time from relief and happiness instead of heartbreak. “The Great Wizarding War is over,” he whispers, and then pulls back and kisses Kyungsoo for real this time on the lips, hands cupping his wind-chapped cheeks.  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo’s heart doesn’t race. He is simply at peace. Kissing Baekhyun isn’t thrilling; it’s comforting and simply right. Kyungsoo feels like a puzzle piece, falling back into place. The butterflies and messy kisses are for first-time lovers, but Kyungsoo knows Baekhyun already, so he takes his time, enjoying the feeling of having Baekhyun back in his arms. This time, it’s for good.  
  
  
  
“God,” he mumbles when they break apart. “I love you.”  
  
  
  
Baekhyun beams, bumping their noses together. “I know.”  
  
  
  
“What kind of answer is that?”  
  
  
  
Baekhyun doesn’t respond, instead taking Kyungsoo’s hand again, and walking out of Godric’s Hollow, aimlessly wandering around the small neighborhood. At some point, they even cross into the Muggle side of the village.  
  
  
  
They walk in silence, keeping their thoughts to themselves, but Kyungsoo doesn’t exactly mind. They have all the time in the world now, except no, they really don’t, because Kyungsoo is still a Death Eater.  
  
  
  
“Let’s get some food?” Baekhyun offers, spotting a small bakery. “C’mon, I’ll pay.”  
  
  
  
“No, no,” Kyungsoo insists. “I have plenty of Galleons on me. I can—”  
  
  
  
Baekhyun laughs, and Kyungsoo just revels in the sound. His heart is swelling in his chest. God, Baekhyun makes him so damn happy. “Kyungsoo, this is a Muggle bakery. Unless you’ve got pounds on you, I’m paying?”  
  
  
  
“Oh, right,” Kyungsoo says, embarrassed. “Wait, pounds? Pounds of what?”  
  
  
  
He feels dumb for not knowing, but when he gets another laugh from Baekhyun, it’s all worth it again. “Never mind,” Baekhyun says, “Just come eat. Wait—” He waves his wand at Kyungsoo, who yelps when he realizes his robes are changing into non-Wizarding clothes. Baekhyun simply slips his own robes off, revealing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans underneath.  
  
  
  
“You’re wearing clothes under your robes?” Kyungsoo asks, mildly horrified.  
  
  
  
“Well, not at Hogwarts, but here, yes,” Baekhyun responds. “Old habits die hard. I may be a wizard but I’m never getting used to walking around in a glorified dress, not in a Muggle area.”  
  
  
  
They end up ordering egg custard, and Kyungsoo recognizes that at least. It’s so strange for Kyungsoo to watch Baekhyun chat up the Muggle owner of the store so effortlessly, the worries of the past few years sliding off of his face and making him look years younger.  
  
  
  
“I shouldn’t have been so surprised,” Baekhyun suddenly says, as they’re sharing the egg custard. “I should have known, though.”  
  
  
  
“Known about what?” Kyungsoo asks, tearing his eyes from the curve of Baekhyun’s lips to look upwards.  
  
  
  
There’s such a loving smile on Baekhyun’s face that Kyungsoo wants to lean forwards and kiss it off. “That you were on our side. That you’d been fighting for us all along, because deep down, you couldn’t stand the horrors of Voldemort’s side. Because you were coerced into it, and so you wanted to be able to use your position to help us, even when it risked your life.”  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo shakes his head, suddenly guilty. “It’s not that heroic,” he protests. “You make me sound so selfless and cool. I still got a Dark Mark. I still stood by while they killed and tortured other people.” He takes a bite from the egg custard, and looks down. “I’m an awful person, Baekhyun. Honestly, I’m still a Death Eater. There’s no point in trying to save me.”  
  
  
  
A gentle hand lifts his chin up, though, and Kyungsoo finds himself staring at Baekhyun.  
  
  
  
“That’s the unhealthy love that your mother taught you,” he says, dropping his hand to hold onto Kyungsoo’s. “That’s the difference in between the Death Eaters and us, yeah? I forgive. You’re not a lost cause, Kyungsoo. You saved me, already.”  
  
  
  
“I also betrayed your trust in seventh year, when you—”  
  
  
  
“Shh,” Baekhyun says, putting a finger up to his lips. “Stop dwelling on the past. I’ve already forgiven you. See, we can keep our memories, but I think we should start over from here. Byun Baekhyun and Do Kyungsoo. No wizarding war, no Voldemort. Just us.”  
  
  
  
Kyungsoo is speechless as he watches Baekhyun grab a can of Muggle alcohol, pouring them both a glass. He has never been more in love. “Okay,” he stammers. “Okay.”  
  
  
  
“A toast to the future to come,” Baekhyun says, raising his glass. He smiles at Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo’s heart nearly beats out of his chest.  
  
  
  
“A toast to the future to come,” he repeats. They clink glasses, and Kyungsoo can’t help but smile back.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
